Monday, June 30, 2014

Hi everyone! I haven't worn a really good red in awhile and boy is this
one REALLY good! Glam Polish Coven has a gorgeous red holographic jelly
base with red holographic glitter. It would have been fine on its own at 3 coats, but you know me...I had to layer it. This is another amazing polish from Glam Polish's Cast a Spell Collection. I used 2 coats over Essie Jelly Apple for this mani. Once again, like High Priestess, Coven was easy to get glassy smooth with 1 coat of thicker topcoat (Essence Gel Look Topcoat) and 1 coat of a quick dry topcoat (NYC Grand Central Station). I would like to say that I was wearing red to be patriotic, but really it was for the True Blood premiere last week (so let's just pretend, K?)

Glam Polish is available from their Big Cartel shop (ships to Australia and the US only) as well as from these international stockists. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates on new collections and restocks as well as to see lots of beautiful swatches! Thanks for looking everyone!

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Hi everyone! To celebrate Pahlish's new collection that released last night (and the dent it made in my wallet) I decide to spam you with some lovely Pahlish swatches today! Two of these are still currently available and a few were limited editions or Bespoke Batches (small batches which Shannon releases one time in small quantities). I will share those details about each polish during the post.

Mauna Loa (Bespoke Batch) is a bright orangey coral creme with charcoal and golden flake shimmer. This polish was actually inspired by an idea that I gave Shannon! I told her I would love to see a coral version of Fields of Provence, which is bright blue with charcoal and golden flakes. I'm obsessed with oranges/corals lately, so I adore this polish. And Shannon was so sweet to send this one to me as a gift since I inspired it! (<3 Shannon).

My Bespoke Psychopath (currently available) is part of Shannon's huge Dr. Who inspired collection. This is a deep purple holographic polish with red metallic flake shimmer. Formula on this one is fantastic, with full coverage at 2 coats. This is a beautiful rich and vampy holo and the added flakes the the perfect compliment.

Mohair Suit (currently available) is part of the Elton John Collection. It is a light taupe holo with red and violet shimmer. The shimmer in this is DI-VINE. Shannon has really made me like taupes, and this one is extra special. Formula was good, with complete coverage in 2 coats. This is certainly not your average neutral polish.

Castle by the Sea Duo (exclusively sold during May 2014)

Dawn Treader (over Lone Islands) is a mixture of turquoise, ocean blue, and teal glitter (matte and metallic) with navy microflake shimmer in a clear base. This topper is so fresh and ocean-y! I love Pahlish's monthly duos so much, and this one ranks high on my list of favorites! As always, it perfectly compliments the base polish of the duo, which we will be discussing next!

Lone Islands is the base polish for the duo and it has my favorite Pahlish finish: creme with microflakes! This polish seems so unassuming in the bottle, but once I got it on my nail I was in love! The color is a dusty turquoise (which actually leans slightly greener in real life than my pictures) with blue microflakes. I would be happy just wearing this one on its own, but I love it with the glitter too!

Pahlish is available from Pahlish's Big Cartel Shop. Be sure to follow Pahlish on Facebook and on their blog for details about restocks (they are Fridays at 7 pm CST) and new polishes. Shannon has started adding one or two Bespoke Batches to each restock (she usually posts previews on Thursdays), so if you want to grab some of those, keep and eye on her Facebook and Instagram. Pahlish is also available from Llarowe, Rainbow Connection, and Edgy Polish. Thanks for looking everyone!

Friday, June 27, 2014

Hi everyone! Today I have a mani to share with you that I absolutely loved! This one features another polish from Maybelline's Bleached Neons Collection as well as some absolutely stunning water decals from Born Pretty Store.

After my initial discovery of Maybelline's Bleached Neons, I decided to seek out a few more colors from the line. I found a full display at another Rite Aid and was able to buy the gorgeous blue from the collection, Day Glow Teal. This polish, unlike the Lime Accent, had a great formula and covered perfectly in two coats. It is bright, but also a little muted so it definitely isn't an in your face "neon". I'm a sucker for blue cremes, and this one is fantastic!

Next I added these beautiful feather decals (Item 1724) from Born Pretty Store. When you first look at the sheet of decals, the feathers don't exactly look like they all go together, but when you place them over a base, they are just translucent enough that the colors all meld together for a very cohesive look. The decals behaved well and I had no difficulties applying them. I didn't want to take this mani off!

Be sure to check out Born Pretty Storefor all of your nail art supply needs (you can use my coupon code JCX31 for 10% off your order). I've always had great experiences with ordering from them at very reasonable prices. Also, you can't beat free worldwide shipping! You can also follow Born Pretty Store on Facebook and Instagram. The Maybelline Bleached Neons collection is limited edition, so be sure to grab them now before they are gone for good wherever Maybelline products are sold in your area (I purchased mine from Rite Aid).

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Hi everyone! Today I have two gorgeous things to show you: a lovely polish from Pahlish's Wood Between the Worlds collection and a gorgeous floral stamping plate from Born Pretty Store!

Let's start off with Pahlish Nine Names. This polish was one that I debated on getting for ages because it is out of my comfort zone and I just wasn't sure what it would look like on me. I was pleasantly surprised that the peachy orange creme looked really nice with my skintone. I just love this polish! It has gorgeous contrasting red and gold flake shimmer too. Formula was perfectly smooth and opaque in 2 coats.

Next I did some stamping with a plate from Born Pretty Store (item QA82) that has an assortment of lovely floral designs, including full nail images and smaller images for accents. The full-nail images are plenty large enough to cover the average nail entirely (unless, of course, you have really long nails). I thought that the images were well etched into the plates and that they stamped really crisply. For this mani, I chose the top middle design, which I thought looked reminiscent of a henna design that you might see on someone's hands/arms.

I used Mundo de Unas Orange stamping polish for my design. You can see that the image stamped really crisply and clearly.

Finally, I used a dotting tool and a red creme (Zoya Sooki) to go in and add some additional detailing to my finished design. I thought this turned out so cool! Like some sort of fancy stoneware or something.

Be sure to check out Born Pretty Storefor all of your nail art supply needs (you can use my coupon code JCX31 for 10% off your order). I've always had great experiences with ordering from them at very reasonable prices. Also, you can't beat free worldwide shipping! You can also follow Born Pretty Store on Facebook and Instagram. Pahlish is available from Pahlish's Big Cartel Shop. Be sure to follow Pahlish on Facebook and on their blog for details about restocks (they are Fridays at 7 pm CST) and new polishes. Pahlish is also available from Llarowe, Overall Beauty, Rainbow Connection, and Edgy Polish. Thanks for looking everyone!Mundo de Unas stamping polishes can be purchased on their website. They sell them in full sized bottles and mini bottles. They have a nice assortment of stamping plates and other nail art items as well, so be sure to check those out.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Hi everyone! Today I have a fun and simple summer floral mani to share with you. I've heard lots of buzz about the Maybelline Bleached Neons collection, so when I found a display at my local Rite Aid I had to get a few to see what all the fuss was about. I was looking for a color that would look nice with my floral water decals, and Maybelline Lime Accent looked like it would pair well.

Lime Accent is a gorgeous lime green creme. It's bright while being a bit subdued, so I totally get the whole "bleached neons" concept. I will say that the formula left a little to be desired for me. It was somehow a bit runny while being thick (which makes NO sense, but it's the only way I can think to describe it!). Probably, if I was more careful, I could have gotten away with 3 thin coats, but I ended up doing 4 coats for complete coverage. I would definitely recommend waiting a bit between coats to avoid dragging. The color though...worth a little hassle I think! I think that my other two picks from the Bleached Neons collection (Coral Heat and Pink Punch) have better formulas based on nail wheel swatching, but we shall see soon!

I decided to jazz up this mani with some lovely floral water decals from Born Pretty Store (Item Y077). These are so adorable and honestly look like they could have been hand painted once they get on your nails. I thought the bright colors of the flowers looked great against the lime green base. These water decals were a cinch to use and I had absolutely no issues with them. There were also plenty of decals in the pack to do two full manicures with. Such a quick and easy way to add some art to your nails!

Be sure to check out Born Pretty Storefor all of your nail art supply needs (you can use my coupon code JCX31 for 10% off your order). I've always had great experiences with ordering from them at very reasonable prices. Also, you can't beat free worldwide shipping! You can also follow Born Pretty Store on Facebook and Instagram. The Maybelline Bleached Neons collection is limited edition, so be sure to grab them now before they are gone for good wherever Maybelline products are sold in your area (I purchased mine from Rite Aid).

Sunday, June 22, 2014

*Press Samples*Hi everyone! Today I have two manicures to share with you that I created using KBShimmer's new line of nail vinyls. I received samples of several of the designs, but today I am sharing two of them with you.

They came with a sheet with a full set of instructions how how to use the decals to make nail designs, whether you are going to just stick them on your nails or whether you are going to use them with nail polish to stencil.

I started off with a base of KBShimmer Low and Be Bold and allowed it to dry completely. This is important when using these decals. Even when using a quick dry topcoat, I would wait at least 30 minutes to an hour before using them or you will pull off your base color.

Then I used KBShimmer Run! It's the Coppers! for the design. Be sure to pull off the nail vinyls while the polish is still wet to get clean edges for your designs. For a finishing touch, I added a single dot on each nail with a dotting tool. I love blue and copper together, and I thought this design looked really cool.

I started off with a white base on my middle two nails and allowed it to dry completely. Next I placed the star decals randomly on those nails. Then, I used a make-up sponge to dab on KBShimmer You're So Shellfish and Life Rose On in a random pattern over the decals to give it sort of a watercolor look. I used tweezers to remove the star decals to help prevent smudging the polish. I finished with You're So Shellfish on my other nails.

So there ya go! Two nail art manicures that couldn't be simpler with the help of KBShimmer's nail vinyls! I've got a few more to try out and I will do some manicures with those soon!

KBShimmer products are available from their website as well as from Harlow & Co. (Canada). Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates on new collections and to see swatches of all of their polishes.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Hi everyone! Today I have Smitten Polish's Summer 2014 Collection to share with you! This collection consists of 5 new holographic microglitter polishes and 3 new holos in beautiful summery colors.

I'm going to start off telling you about formula so I don't have to repeat myself over and over throughout the post...

For the holo microglitter polishes, the formula is practically identical on all of them. They all start off on the sheer side, but build up nicely in 3 thin coats (you can get away with 2 coats of Her Name Was Rose and The Oncoming Storm if you are careful because their bases are more saturated) I found that they applied quite easily and weren't runny, which was great because I didn't want to have to worry about clean-up with microglitter (which can get everywhere if you are having to do a lot of clean-up). For all of them, I recommend using 1 coat of a thicker topcoat (I use Essence Gel-Look Topcoat) and then 1 coat of a quick dry topcoat (I use NYC Grand Central Station) to smooth them out to a glassy finish.

For the holos, the formulas were basically the same on all of those as well. I thought they all looked best at 3 thin coats. No special base or topcoats are required with these and I did not find that topcoat dulled the holographic effect.

So now...on to the pretties!

Jellyfish Rave is a light purple/lavender jelly base filled with silver microglitter. When I first saw this, I thought it was going to be super sheer, but it built up so nicely on the nail. I think it is because the microglitter is really fine and thus gets opaque even with a lighter base. The sheerer base also allows for ultimate sparkle of the holo glitter to shine through.

Seahorse Rodeo is a turquoise jelly base filled with silver holo microglitter. It had a similar sheer quality to it like Jellyfish Rave, but also built up just as nicely. This polish definitely does look like it is straight out of the sea, and is perfect for a summer mani!

Her Name Was Rose has a raspberry jelly base with silver holo microglitter. The color is beautiful and and saturated and covers well in 2 coats. I've been on a pink kick lately, so this polish was really a winner for me. It reminds me of some sort of delicious sparkling jam.

The Oncoming Storm has a royal blue jelly base with silver holo microglitter. The color is deep and rich, even a touch darker in real life than in pictures. Because of the darker color of the base, two coat covered perfectly for this polish. This is a stunning shade!

This is My Tiara! is an opaque silver holo microglitter in a clear base. This is all glitter folks! This is the only one of the holo glitters that does not have a tinted base, but the glitter is very dense so it easily becomes opaque on its on with no undies! This is super sparkly and fun! I wore this to lunch with my mom and the waitress was grabbing my hand asking me where I got it. By the way...how do you answer that question when normal people ask you without sounding a bit crazy? LOL! MUGGLES DON'T KNOW WHAT INDIE POLISH IS!

By the way, both this polish and the next one I'm going to show you were inspired by Amy Farrah Fowler off of The Big Bang Theory (and the tiara episode is one of my favorites from her).

Girl Sprouts is a medium, grass green linear holo. I mean...just look at it. This polish is practically perfect in every way (ya know...as Mary Poppins would say). The holo flame on this polish is insane and the color is just lovely. It seems to have an ever so slight golden twinge to it that really sets it off.

Amy: I guess it must have been back with I was in the Girl Sprouts.

Bernadette: Girl Sprouts?

Amy: My mom made it up as an alternative to the Girl Scouts. She didn't want me selling cookies on some street corner like a whore.

~The Big Bang Theory

Nuclear Sunshine is a near neon yellow linear holo. This polish is so insanely bright and gorgeous! I know that yellows don't work on everyone, but this one seems to have a slight greenish twinge to it that makes it look flattering on me. I'm actually wearing this one today and I enjoyed it so much on my car ride to work as it flashed in the sun!

Safety Dance is a corally orange linear holo. This one leans slightly more pink in real life than it looks in pics. Gah, this polish is gorgeous! If you are an orange/coral lover like me, you need this polish STAT!